Awarding Policies

After all of your application has been submitted and reviewed by our office, an offer of financial assistance will be sent to you outlining the financial aid that you are eligible to receive for the specified academic year. Your offer will come with an acceptance form — you may accept or decline all or part of the aid package.

The form must be returned to our offices. No aid will be disbursed until the signed and completed form is returned. No offer of aid will be made before the student has been accepted into a certificate or degree program at Hebrew College.

Declining Your Award

Please make sure you complete the Acceptance Award Form, clearly marking those parts of the offer you wish to accept and those you wish to decline. If the form is not returned to our offices, we will assume you have declined any award of financial aid.

Reporting Outside Assistance

If you will be receiving any forms of assistance not listed on your offer (such as a scholarship from an outside organization), you must notify us of this additional resource. All aid you receive from the school and outside sources must be accounted for so you do not end up having to return some funds because of over-awarding. This is especially true if you receive any federal funding.

Reduction in Enrollment

Your offer of aid is based on the expectation that you will take a certain number of credits each semester. A reduction to your courseload may result in a reduction or cancellation of your aid. An amended offer of financial aid will be sent to you stating the new amount(s) you will qualify for after a change in courseload. You will be expected to return to our offices the Acceptance of Amended Aid form before any aid is disbursed.

Disbursement of Funds

Most aid is disbursed term by term — the same way you pay tuition. In most cases, you must be attending school during a particular term to receive a disbursement. No aid is given out until after the Add/Drop date of each semester has passed and we have verified the number of credits for which you have registered.

Student Loan Disbursements

Federal student loans are disbursed per semester. No funds will be disbursed until after the Add/Drop date has passed each semester. When the semester’s disbursement arrives at the school, it is placed into the student’s account and the student is notified. The student then has 14 days to change his/her mind about the loan and notify the school. If the school does not receive notification that the student wishes to decline receipt of the disbursement, the money is applied to any outstanding tuition and fees, and any left over funds are refunded to the student by check. The check is mailed to the student. If you wish to pick up your refund, you must make arrangements with the Bursar’s Office.

Students who are new to the school and are receiving federal student loans through us for the first time will receive their first loan disbursement after the fourth week of classes during the first semester they receive student loans. All other disbursements will be done as explained above.

Students who are studying abroad should make arrangements with the Financial Aid Office as to where they want their disbursement checks sent (to a relative or friend in the U.S. so it can be deposited in the student’s bank account, to the student in the foreign country).

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Undergraduate students are required to maintain a minimum of a 2.7 GPA (C-plus); graduate students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA (B-minus). Merit-based may scholarships require a higher GPA for renewed consideration. All students must make continuous progress towards completing their degree within the timeframe stipulated by the degree program — generally three to six years for a full-time program and 10 years for a part-time program. Multiple leaves of absence can bring you out of compliance with the satisfactory academic progress requirement and may limit your eligibility for federal, state or institutional aid.

Federal Verification Process

Approximately one-third of all financial aid applicants are selected by either the U.S. Department of Education for verification of the accuracy of information provided on the FAFSA. We will notify you if you have been selected. If you are selected, any offer of aid you have received will be tentative pending the completion of the verification process. No aid can be disbursed until verification is complete.

Should the verified financial information differ significantly from the original information provided on the FAFSA, your offer of aid may have to be amended. Please be sure to respond to requests for follow-up documentation in a timely manner to avoid delays in applying your financial aid as a credit to your student account.

You will be required to complete the verification worksheet and provide a copy of your federal income tax transcript and/or tax return forms. Upon receipt of the required materials, we will finalize the review of your application for financial aid. If documentation is not received by the established deadline, your offer of assistance could be canceled.